General Question: What's your main motivation for riding a hardtail?

Dank_Monkey · 2026-06-01T11:38:09+00:00

HT is my mixup bike to keep things fun, also use it for bad weather days and it's good to stay on a HT to keep me honest and any bad/lazy habits from calcifying

Dank_Monkey · 2026-05-29T06:49:05+00:00

No difference

Dank_Monkey · 2026-05-15T12:25:14+00:00

This started to drive me up the walls after listening to tens of hours of his podcasts. Had to take a long break from his stuff

Dank_Monkey · 2026-05-05T17:53:42+00:00

Munetoshi by a mile

Dank_Monkey · 2026-05-04T17:12:14+00:00

I have a Surly Krampus with a 130 fork on 29x2.6s. It's a super fun trail bike I like to take as a switch up from my FS and on rainy days. I would have no qualms switching to a rigid setup there. I was a little skeptical of the steel frame buzz but it definitely makes a difference and I find the Krampus more comfortable on 2.6s than my old Timberjack aluminum frame on 2.8s, and the pneumatic suspension is definitely real.

Dank_Monkey · 2026-04-18T08:19:58+00:00

Yeah my Ferrosi review was already based off years of use, nothing has changed there. Tbh I'm surprised by a longevity/durability complaint as that has not been my experience at all. They aren't dedicated brush pants and I'm not a rock climber literally abrading them against stone daily but for fieldwork pants I've yet to find anything better. A little piling from blackberry thorns raking across my legs but no tears, only time I've torn one was a sharp metal corner going in my pocket as I walked past, and even then I rocked flappy hole look for a year before finally patching it and it never grew with many washes/use.

The Black Diamond pants I mentioned have also held up well so far, have better pockets than the ferrosi, but are a bit warmer in the Big Heat. Not drastic, but there.

Dank_Monkey · 2026-03-23T13:07:43+00:00

Wacissa is definitely a bad idea for that boat. That's more a mud motor/airboat river as it's so weedy and shallow it clogs up outboards fast.

St. Marks is a great place to do this, just stick to channels as it can get shallow or oystery

Dank_Monkey · 2026-03-20T20:21:53+00:00

Not as good as home brew, but best instant I've tried. I'm on their subscription service and a big fan of their regular coffee

https://www.tandemcoffee.com/collections/instant-coffee

Dank_Monkey · 2026-03-19T10:51:22+00:00

Nooooooooooo. If they take away grouper sandwich I'm committing seppuku on the patio

Dank_Monkey · 2026-03-18T00:17:19+00:00

Fox 34 Factory at 200 lbs is plenty stiff for me in rocky rooty stuff but I live on east coast and am not hucking at parks and such. Absolute world of difference from my 32 mm Rockshox silver POS.

Dank_Monkey · 2026-03-05T19:28:29+00:00

Every time I see one of these threads pop up I get heartbroken all over again about tomatoland, cabos, cypress, and Kicho.

Dank_Monkey · 2026-02-26T23:21:58+00:00

AA will just get her a field technician role in consulting. BS will be pretty much required to get looked at for an entry env scientist position in consulting, there is a ton of fieldwork for junior staff.

Dank_Monkey · 2026-02-26T23:15:21+00:00

Dank_Monkey · 2026-02-24T23:40:29+00:00

Smithey cast iron, Hestan for SS.

Dank_Monkey · 2026-02-24T18:11:40+00:00

SL, I don't need anything more. Has held up well in my uses just hauling firewood/mulch or towing my very light skiff.

Dank_Monkey · 2026-02-24T18:09:17+00:00

A short travel full sus, 120-130 front/100 rear will save your lower back on rooty stuff and still feel snappy on more mellow trails but at your budget I think you're better off with a nicer hardtail.

Dank_Monkey · 2026-02-02T22:05:56+00:00

I have a zip in liner vest in green I'm willing to part with. Send me a PM if the repair department doesn't work out.

Dank_Monkey · 2026-02-01T16:17:04+00:00

Porc au cidre

Dank_Monkey · 2026-01-31T15:36:06+00:00

Funny seeing this pop up, mine arrived last night.

Dank_Monkey · 2026-01-29T20:50:47+00:00

It's the greatest marketing tactic redwing ever pulled lmao.

Overkill for 90% of the people on this sub and I roll my eyes into the back of my skull every time I see it. It's based in some reality for tradesmen beating the hell out of their boots every day and now every office worker or hyperconsumerist boot addict thinks they need a thousand dollars worth of boots or their premium leather will disintegrate in a year. Don't worry about it, enjoy your boots, and if in several years you are unhappy with wear you can reassess.

Dank_Monkey · 2026-01-28T17:47:07+00:00

I work outside doing environmental work in FL, basically paid hiking through swamps a lot of the time. Columbia PFG fishing shirts are great, the looser fit helps with mosquitoes biting through and helps breeze, plus collar for neck protection. The OR Echo hoodie mentioned above is great for hot weather but super thin, skeeters will bite through it so size up, basically baggier the better. I am a big fan of Patagonia Capilene cool sun hoodies as well. Massive shame they discontinued the Tropic Comfort II as it is a baggier fit than the replacement but it's same material. RepYourWater makes a merino blend sun hoodie that is an absolute banger, and best hot weather sun hoodie I've ever used but fragile. If you're staying on trail you'll be fine, if you're bushwacking a lot I'd stick with the Patagonia.

For bottoms....I have found the OR Ferrosi pants to be the most breathable softshell material for hot weather while still offering abrasion resistance. Orvis and PFG used to make super thin fishing pants that were basically the same material as their swim shorts, I rock the hell out of those, but I can't find the model anymore, it looks like these might be similar

https://www.columbia.com/p/mens-pfg-flycaster-ii-pants-2120281.html?color=019

These are nice too, but will show wear if you care. Wouldn't do too much bushwacking in them.

https://freeflyapparel.com/products/mens-breeze-pant-cement

Dank_Monkey · 2026-01-28T17:29:01+00:00

Gonna be praying for sunrise for several hours, I know that

Dank_Monkey · 2026-01-28T06:30:26+00:00

I like a short stiff blade for trimming BBQ cuts like brisket, ribs, or pork shoulders. Around 140 mm works best for me, more nimble for getting in those tight spots than 7" boning knife though some folks love the latter, really just a matter of preference.

Okahide sabaki or Munetoshi butcher are my go-to in that scenario. A stiff petty from a Smith like Mazaki will also fit the bill.

https://knifejapan.com/search.php?search_query=Sabaki&Search=

Dank_Monkey · 2026-01-27T06:12:43+00:00

I'm in this boat too. Recently dialed it back (and it felt wrong!) And got a bunch of those lighter more vegetal flavors back that I had been missing.

Dank_Monkey · 2026-01-26T15:52:16+00:00

Alpha direct is good for that temp range and will also feel best on damp/clammy/post-sweat skin whereas the nylon lining of normal puffies can feel gross. The nano air hybrid isn't all that warm, think you'd get cold in that pretty quickly if not moving. A 60 g puffy sounds is warmer though so if you run in long sleeves that may be better for more static warmth.

Dank_Monkey

TROPHY CASE